What Would Eat a Hole in a Cantaloupe?

Cantaloupe won't make it to the table if uninvited outdoor guests are allowed in the garden.

After more than three months of thinning and weeding, fertilizing and weeding, watering and yet more weeding, those pale globes finally turn tan. Visions of soft, sweet, juicy fruit are crushed when you pick up the cantaloupe, turning it over in your hands and find holes. Large or small holes might result from birds, boring bugs or other animals.

Cantaloupe Basics

American grown cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) is actually muskmelon -- true cantaloupe are warty melons grown in Europe. American cantaloupes have skin that looks similar to flat netting and grow as warm weather annual fruits in U.S. Department of Agriculture zone 2 through 11, although plants must be started indoors in colder zones. Cantaloupes grow on vines -- regular weeding and weekly drip irrigation to a depth of 6 inches pay off. Fruits that set up to 40 days before the first frost in the fall will have time to mature, so pinch any flowers after that 40 day mark to ensure sweet, ripe fruit before days cool.

Prowling Beasties

Watermelons are favorites of hungry wildlife, which will eat holes in tougher-skinned cantaloupe if the softer fruit is not handy. Skittish coyotes might run from bright lights and sudden noises -- a loud radio and spotlight linked to a motion sensor is worth a try. Urban raccoons may also react to sudden light and noise. Mice prefer to dig up cantaloupe seeds before germination, but squirrels and skunks are both fruit lovers. Do not try the startle method on the neighborhood skunks. Leaving a radio playing at night is known to deter skunks. Squirrels and skunks might avoid gardens surrounded by dishes of household ammonia. If you have children, a fence is a safer alternative than ammonia.

Airborne Thieves

Those big old crows are the only birds that are strong enough -- and interested enough -- to drill holes in cantaloupe to get the tender seeds inside. Hang tin cans together to make a homely but bird-frightening wind chimes, or hangs strips of folded heavy duty aluminum foil to flutter in the breeze. If the big birds persist, try an air horn to scatter them. Perhaps they’ll move on to those annoying neighbors down the road. Because the crows are after the seeds, you might try putting out bird feeders with seeds they enjoy and scraps of fruit, but that would keep the noisy crows hanging about.

Bad Bugs

Spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata undecimpunc) is a common and persistent melon gourmand. Control requires use of a general pesticide such as carbaryl spray or cryolyte dust, which is labeled for use on cantaloupe. Follow directions carefully, heeding all safety precautions. Squash bugs (Anasa tristis) feed on leaves and, occasionally, drill into fruit. Use insecticidal soap or oil sprays where labels indicate use for squash bugs on cantaloupe or muskmelon if adult bugs or nymphs -- young adults -- visit your patch. Dried fruit beetles (Carpophilus) capitalize on holes started by others or dig into fruits themselves, injecting organisms that attract other insects. Remove and destroy ruined fruit. Catch beetles in an inverted cone top: Remove the bottlecap from a plastic soda bottle. Cut the top of the bottle off. Add some fruit with a pinch of yeast. Invert the bottle top, placing it inside the base. It works like the Hotel California.

About the Author

An avid perennial gardener and old house owner, Laura Reynolds has had careers in teaching and juvenile justice. A retired municipal judgem Reynolds holds a degree in communications from Northern Illinois University. Her six children and stepchildren served as subjects of editorials during her tenure as a local newspaper editor.